Wu Ling's words left Ye Qing silent.
"All right, I'm ready," Wu Ling said.
Ye Qing stepped back, giving Wu Ling room.
As he passed by her, he said, "Family isn't supposed to be like this."
Wu Ling didn't reply.
Once Ye Qing had stepped aside, she began chanting a spell.
But unlike the spells I'd heard her recite before, Wu Ling had switched to another language this time. Its pronunciation was peculiar, full of uvular and retroflex sounds. It sounded strange and unpleasant.
Ye Qing stood to one side with his arms crossed, looking relaxed.
As Wu Ling chanted, the strange-looking formation on the ground began to fade.
It wasn't a regular circle, square, or pentagon. It was an animal shape made of talismans, something like a horse but not quite, like a snake but not quite.
Starting at the creature's head, the ink seemed to seep into the tiles and slowly disappear.
When the entire formation looked like nothing more than a wet patch on the ground, a gust of wind suddenly blew through and scattered the last traces.
Wu Ling stopped chanting, covered her mouth, and coughed twice.
I saw a hint of red between her fingers.
Ye Qing didn't look at Wu Ling. Instead, he turned to face the direction they'd come from.
Tap, tap, tap...
A man in a black suit and black leather shoes appeared from nowhere. I couldn't tell when he'd arrived, either. He walked toward them with steady steps.
He had an unremarkable face. Even in broad daylight, under the bright sun, he seemed enveloped in dark shadows.
"Hello, you two exceptional... talents," the man said with a warm smile.
Ye Qing had no interest in small talk. He raised his thumb, then jerked it toward the area marked "Visitors Keep Out,"